Grey Griffins

Grey Griffins

The logo of the Grey Griffins book series.
Author Derek Benz and J. S. Lewis
Illustrator August Hall
Cover artist Richard Amari
Country United States and Canada
Language English
Genre Children's literature, Science Fiction, fantasy
Publisher Orchard Books (an imprint of Scholastic Inc); Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published March 2006 – present

Grey Griffins is a children's novel series written by American authors Derek Benz and J. S. Lewis in collaboration.[1]

The first trilogy in the series was published by Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc. However, the authors signed with Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for the next trilogy.[2]

Plot

The Grey Griffins series follows the story of four sixth graders who live in the fictional city of Avalon, Minnesota. These four friends formed a secret order named The Order of the Grey Griffins, consisting of, Grayson Maximillian "Max" Sumner III (the leader) and his friends: Natalia Romanov (the marshal), Ernie Tweeny (the steward), and Harley Eisenstein (the warden). In the The Revenge of the Shadow King, the Grey Griffins discover a link between their 'innocent' card game (Round Table) and a magic book (the Codex Spiritus) which Max discovers in his grandmother's attic. The story focuses on the friendship between the four 'Griffins', and their adventures as they stumble upon one dark secret after another and soon learn that the world in which they lived was much more dangerous than they ever believed. With the help of the Knights Templar (a shadowy organization that protects humanity from the monsters and abuses of faerie magic), the Griffins uncover a plot to hand the earth over to the malevolent Shadow King.

In The Rise of the Black Wolf Max and his friends travel to his father's castle in Scotland for Christmas. But even before they arrive, they are attacked by Morgan La Fey, the sorceress they had believed defeated in the previous book. Disaster strikes the Sumner Castle, and Max and his three best friends set off on a round-the-world journey to collect the three scattered pieces of the Spear of Ragnarok.

In The Fall of the Templar, the Black Wolf Army, now under the leadership of Max's father, attack the Templar, plunging the two forces into a covert and shadowy war. But this time, the stakes are larger than just the lives of the soldiers. Lord Sumner, with the Spear of Ragnarok, plans to destroy the world, which he believes to be corrupt, in order for it to be reborn. Once again, the Griffins set off on another treacherous adventure to find answers, this time deep below the surface of the Earth in the Underworld.

List of novels

Main Trilogy

Clockwork Chronicles

List of major characters

Reception and criticism

The Children's Literature Review states that The Revenge of the Shadow King is "imaginative" and that "the story's fast-paced, adventure plot is compelling" but that it "lacks depth, as it fails to connect with the larger question asked by great fantasy literature."[6] The review concludes that "Overall the book is a good read, even if it is not great literature."[6]

References

External links

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